How Amos Clifford Is Connecting People With Nature And Their Spiritual Selves Through Guided Forest Therapy

Forest bathing has become a popular activity around the world as a way to reduce stress and the negative side effects caused by it. The process of forest bathing is simple. Anyone can experience it. It does not require traveling to a wilderness area, nor is it physically demanding. The idea is to bathe the senses in the ambience of a forest. A typical forest therapy walk may cover only ¼ mile in three hours. This may not sound like much, but a great deal can happen when we move slowly and stay mindfully aware of our bodies and the places we are passing through. Clifford and his team train guides in the specific skills needed to help people learn this practice. They can then use it to reconnect with nature on a personal and spiritual level.

Extensive research into immersing oneself in a forest setting has shown it can produce a wide variety of benefits to the health of the mind and body. Research from New Concept of Forest Medicine, by Qing Li, has proven that extended time spent in forest environments has beneficial health outcomes. In a 2012 study forest therapy immersion was established as a preventative medicine for many ailments in the human body. The study showed forest therapy to be a route to a more relaxed and healthier life with reduced stress and a reduced risk of lifestyle-related diseases. To bring the information from these types of studies to the mainstream Clifford has been seeking to partner with researchers. He wants to be able to have research conducted into the services he provides and show they have the same benefits that have been proven in other studies.

The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (anft.earth) aims to make a positive impact on the world through helping people directly experience ways in which we are all part of nature. When the association was founded there were no programs like it outside of Japan. To accomplish this, Clifford and his international team provide training to people all over the world who are seeking to become forest therapy guides. He is branching out because of the global response he has received since the founding of the association. During the first years that he started doing the guided trips people were coming from across the world seeking out his services. Clifford has found there is a disconnect between people and nature that stems from negative connotations around people who spend long hours in a forest.

Often these people are labeled as tree huggers and are seen as out of touch with reality. However, throughout his time as a forest therapy guide, Clifford knows that people can develop real emotional and spiritual relationships with trees and nature as a whole. He teaches people that when you interact with the trees they will pick up on your presence. This interaction enables people to feel the emotions of a tree and in return the tree will begin to speak back to them, which can improve the longevity and overall health of the person.

According to Clifford, "Many people struggle to maintain their sense of belonging to nature." This disconnect has many causes, some of which included the ways in which we surround ourselves by digital technologies and demands of work and school. Forest bathing gives us brief breaks from these influences. Even a brief break can be quite significant.

"It's important for people to have a positive relationship with nature." says Clifford. "Many people have forgotten about how to be in relationships with nature, which used to be common practice. I want people to know it's still possible and easy to learn how to have healthy relationships with nature."